


Jump Scares

by aliensandcats



Category: Actor RPF, British Actor RPF
Genre: Fluff, Gen, POV Second Person, mostly just Tom being nervous and adorable
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-19
Updated: 2014-05-19
Packaged: 2018-01-25 17:34:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1656713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aliensandcats/pseuds/aliensandcats
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You have convinced your lover (who is none other than Tom Hiddleston, of course) to watch a horror film with you.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Jump Scares

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this a while ago for a prompt on imagine-tom-hiddleston.tumblr.com and thought I should upload it here. The prompt was something to do with watching a scary movie with Tom Hiddleston, and so that's exactly what this is!

Everything is almost ready. You’re in the kitchen making the popcorn while Tom is in the living room setting up Netflix to play on the TV. Once the popcorn is in the bowl and properly salted, you look up to see Tom hovering in the doorway, holding the TV remote.

“Are you sure you want to do this, love?” he asks.

“Of course,” you say cheerfully, moving through the doorway and into the living room, being sure to shut off the kitchen light on your way out. Horror movies are always better when the house is mostly dark in your opinion. Tom takes a small step back to let you pass, but he doesn’t follow you. You snuggle into the couch and pat the spot next to you as an invitation to come sit, which he does with only a second more of hesitation. When you finally look up at the TV, you can’t help but flinch at the creepy video thumbnail. When your reaction causes Tom to flinch beside you as well, you take a closer look at him.

“Are you okay?” you ask. He seems stiff and uncertain, staring at the remote in his hands as though he’s not sure what to do with it.

Tom looks up at you. “I’m fine.”

“Are you nervous?”

“No,” Tom starts, attempting to maintain his masculinity, but he thinks better of lying to you and his face softens. “Yes.”

Your heart melts at the open vulnerability on his face. “Not a big fan of jump scares?” you ask tenderly.

“Not particularly.”

“We don’t have to watch it,” you say quickly. “We’ll find something else.”

“No, no,” he says, pulling himself together. “I said I would watch this with you and I’m going to.”

You lean over and kiss him on the cheek. “Thank you,” you whisper into his ear.

He turns his head and captures your lips with his own, placing a hand under your chin to hold your head still. “The things I do for you,” he murmurs.

You chuckle and pull away, taking the remote from his hands and replacing it with the bowl of popcorn. Before either of you can get too distracted by the other’s lips, you press play. The film starts off slowly with plenty of exposition, allowing for a chance to finish the bowl of popcorn and put it to the side before either of you could jump and accidentally knock it to the floor. Finally the onscreen tension begins to build and the creepy music starts. You pull your legs up under yourself and nestle closer to Tom, seeking warmth and stability. He puts an arm around your shoulders, allowing you to come closer. You put one hand on his chest, just because that’s where it seemed to rest most comfortably, and find that you can feel his heart pounding away mercilessly against your hand. You steal a glance at his face, finding that his eyes are wide and glued to the screen. You look back to the movie, and although the anticipation of the next scare is high, you’ve seen enough horror films that you think you have another minute at least.

You tap lightly on Tom’s chest. “Hey.”

He turns his head in your direction, though his eyes remain fixed on the screen. “Hmmm?”

“You still okay?”

Finally he does look at you, and you can see that the smile he gives you, though perhaps a little strained, is genuine. “Yes.”

“Just checking,” you say. You return your attention to the movie. The people in the movie are about to open a door. They turn the knob and push. The music swells, and Tom inhales sharply, tightening his grip on your shoulder.

Of course the room is empty. The music calms down, but you’ve watched enough horror films to know what’s coming next. You quickly put a hand over Tom’s. The camera pans around to reveal the disfigured ghosts that have appeared just behind the group of unfortunate explorers, accompanied by a shrill blast of loud music.

You know it’s coming but you can’t help but flinch anyway. Tom, however, is not as attuned to horror movies as you are. He lets out a sharp yelp and buries his face into the crook of your neck. You grab the remote and pause the movie, thankfully catching it on a still of someone screaming and not the face of the ghost.

“Tom?”

He shakily lets out the breath he’d been holding, and you shiver at the feeling of warm air tickling your neck. Tom abruptly sits up and clears his throat, still panting slightly. “I’m sorry, I–”

“No, no, you’re fine,” you say quickly. You can see the slight glisten of unshed tears in his eyes, which let you know that Tom is a good bit more scared than he’s letting on. You gently pet his hand, which still has a death-grip on your shoulder. He seems to realize this and forces his muscles to relax.

He lets out a nervous chuckle. “I am ridiculous.”

You can’t help but laugh now, and Tom joins in, nervous energy making everything several times funnier. “Are you sure you want to finish this?” you ask once you’ve gotten a bit more control over yourself.

Tom nods his head resolutely. You know he really, really doesn’t, but he’s doing this for you, and you can’t help but feel bad. You turn your entire body towards him and rest your head against his chest, tucked up under his chin, and you wrap your arms around his waist.

“I love you,” you whisper. It’s the first time you’ve said it aloud, and you wait tensely for his reply. You feel him lean back a bit so that he can press his lips against your hair.

“I love you, too,” he says quietly.

After a pause, Tom takes the remote and hits play, and the screaming continues. You cling to each other as one by one the protagonists die or go missing. There are many more jump-worthy moments. More than once Tom ducks down, pressing his tightly closed eyes against the top of your head and panting down the back of your neck, and you can’t help but marvel at how literally anything he does is endearing to you.

Finally the movie ends and the credits roll, and although you both relax, neither of you seem to want to let go just yet. Nobody speaks. As the credits begin to come to a close, you wriggle yourself around, not letting go of Tom, but needing to stretch your legs that you’ve had curled up under you for the majority of the movie.

Just as the credits end, a sudden final gruesome face flashes on the screen. At the same moment a loud clatter sounds, not from the TV, but from inches away from you. This time you’re the one to scream, but again, Tom surprises you with his reaction by literally dragging you across his lap to his other side, away from the noise, and pressing his body against yours.

You’re both shaking, but as the fright dies down, you realize what Tom has just done. “Tom, you know you just saved me from a falling bowl of popcorn, right?”

Tom lets out a huff of confused laughter. “What?”

He starts to lift himself off you, but you quickly wrap your arms around his neck and hold him there. “You didn’t even know what the danger was, but you were going to use your own body to shield me from it.”

“From an empty bowl of popcorn,” Tom said with no small amount of bemusement.

“My hero,” you chuckle, and you pull him down for a firm and proper kiss. Tom eagerly reciprocates, while the bowl you knocked over lays forgotten on the floor.


End file.
